Senior Safety Engineer - Process Safety & Fire Protection

Airswift; Houston (TX); On-site; USD 140,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

Airswift is seeking a Senior Safety Engineer in Houston, TX to lead process safety, loss prevention, and fire protection efforts for process facilities and projects.

You will apply risk-based methods, review design and operating documents, and provide technical guidance to engineers and clients. A minimum of 12 years in process safety within oil and gas, refining, petrochemical, LNG, hydrogen, or related industries is required.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in chemical/mechanical/fire protection engineering.
• 12+ years of experience in process safety and fire protection.
• Experience in oil & gas, refining, petrochemical, LNG or hydrogen.
• Ability to lead safety studies and mentor engineers.

Responsibilities

• Lead and participate in process hazard analyses and risk assessments (HAZID, HAZOP, What-If/Checklist, LOPA).
• Evaluate process hazards for flammable, toxic, reactive, and high-energy materials.
• Develop and review process safety philosophies, design criteria, and specifications.
• Review PFDs, P&IDs, equipment data sheets, plot plans, and control narratives from a process safety perspective.
• Support risk-based siting, escalation assessments, and MOC/PSR activities.

Skills

Process safety

Fire protection

Hazard analyses

Risk assessment

Technical leadership

Regulatory compliance

Education

Bachelor's degree in Chemical Engineering

Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering

Fire Protection Engineering

Job description

Airswift is seeking a Senior Safety Engineer with a focus on either Loss Prevention or Process Safety to work on a long-term assignment with a major EPC in Houston, TX.

Job Overview

The Senior Safety Engineer is responsible for providing technical leadership and engineering support in the areas of process safety, loss prevention, and fire protection for process facilities and projects. The position applies engineering principles, industry standards, regulatory requirements, and risk-based methodologies to identify hazards, evaluate risk, and develop practical engineering solutions that protect personnel, assets, the environment, and business continuity. The successful candidate will have a minimum of 12 years of relevant engineering experience, with demonstrated expertise in process safety and fire protection within the oil and gas, refining, petrochemical, chemical, LNG, hydrogen, energy, or related process industries. This position serves as a senior technical resource and is expected to independently execute complex engineering assignments, lead safety studies, develop engineering deliverables, interface with clients and multidisciplinary engineering teams, and provide technical guidance to other engineers.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead and participate in process hazard analyses and risk assessments, including HAZID, HAZOP, What-If/Checklist, LOPA, and other qualitative and semi- quantitative risk assessments.
• Evaluate process hazards involving flammable, combustible, toxic, reactive, and high-energy materials and processes.
• Develop and review process safety philosophies, design criteria, specifications, and engineering studies.
• Evaluate safeguards, independent protection layers, mitigation systems, and risk-reduction measures.
• Perform or review consequence analyses involving flammable and toxic releases, dispersion, fires, explosions, and other major accident scenarios.
• Support facility sitting, occupied building risk assessments, equipment spacing, hazardous area considerations, and escalation assessments.
• Participate in Management of Change, Pre-Startup Safety Reviews, incident investigations, and other process safety management activities as required.
• Review process and engineering documentation, including PFDs, P&IDs, equipment data sheets, plot plans, cause-and-effect diagrams, and control narratives from a process safety perspective.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Chemical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Fire Protection Engineering, or a closely related engineering discipline from an accredited university.
• Responsible engineering experience, with substantial experience in process safety, fire protection, loss prevention, or risk engineering.
• Demonstrated experience supporting industrial process facilities such as oil and gas, refining, petrochemical, chemical, LNG, hydrogen, power, energy transition, or similar facilities.
• Strong working knowledge of process safety principles and major accident hazards.
• Strong working knowledge of industrial fire protection principles and systems.
• Demonstrated ability to interpret and apply NFPA, API, OSHA, IFC, IBC, and other applicable engineering requirements.
• Experience participating in and/or facilitating process hazard analyses and multidisciplinary safety reviews.
• Ability to independently develop engineering studies, calculations, specifications, reports, and technical recommendations.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Demonstrated ability to work effectively within multidisciplinary engineering and project teams.

Preferred Qualifications

• Professional Engineer (PE) license or ability to obtain professional registration.
• Advanced degree in engineering, safety, fire protection, or related technical discipline.
• Certified Functional Safety Professional, Certified Safety Professional, or other relevant professional certification.
• Consulting, EPC, owner/operator, or multidisciplinary engineering experience.
• Field experience involving operating facilities, construction, commissioning, or startup.

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